This report examines the iGaming industry in the Philippines, running crowdsourced performance testing on the best online casino slot games. This time, TESTA’s local evaluators tested load time, speed, and size, providing on-the-ground market research, and benchmarks for providers.
With a population of 119.3 million, the Philippines has a promising iGaming market in Southeast Asia. However, limited internet access in rural areas reduces the potential customer base. According to the 2023 GSMA Intelligence report, mobile internet is only in 45% of the rural Philippines—compared to over 80% in urban areas. This limits the number of potential players who can connect to iGaming providers.
With its long history in the Philippines iGaming industry, TESTA understands the importance of overcoming this challenge and enabling operators like Jade Gaming to deliver seamless gaming experiences to their customers.
The Philippines iGaming market analysis
The Philippines is an attractive market for iGaming companies looking to expand in Southeast Asia. According to Statista…
- Online gambling in the Philippines will reach $680 million by 2024, with 5.4% annual growth.
- ARPU is projected at $179.60, attracting 4.9 million users by 2028.
- Philippines has a relatively low 15% effective tax rate due to PAGCOR licenses.
Who are the top 10 best slot providers in the Philippines?
The leading 10 slot game providers in the Philippines iGaming market are as follows:
Test method
TESTA partnered with local QA and iGaming testing experts in the Philippines to evaluate the top 10 online gambling providers’ games.
The crowdsourced testers used their own devices and followed a standardized test flow, which involved logging in, searching for designated games, and measuring and recording relevant metrics. They then send the data and video captures back to TESTA for analysis.
Test parameters: game load time, game load speed and size
This section explains the test parameters including game load time, and game load speed and game size.
Game load time (seconds)
Refers to the amount of time it takes for a game to start and become playable after players begin running it. Less is better, with 5 seconds considered a great target and under 15 seconds being the general benchmark for good load times.
Game load speed (MB/seconds)
Measures the overall efficiency of the game’s launch process. Larger being better. While server efficiency and CDNs remain crucial, aiming for higher download/upload speeds can contribute meaningfully to faster load times and ultimately enhance player experience.
Game size (MB)
Game size refers to the file size players download before gameplay, preferably smaller. It varies based on type, length, and graphics.
Transferred represents the data downloaded during game installation or updates*.* This includes game assets like graphics, sound effects, and background processes for optimal gameplay.
The compression rate (%) is closely linked to both resources and transferred data. It reflects how much the game files are “squeezed” to save space. In this context, bigger is usually better as larger compression rates generally result in faster download times and less data consumption.
Test data: best online casino slots in the Philippines
This section spotlights the top Filipino casino slot games based on their performance in load times, speeds, sizes, and compression rates.
Best game load time
Half of the top 10 providers exceed a 30-second game load time, highlighting the significant role of the urban-rural gap in overall iGaming performance in the Philippines, as mentioned above.
However, Nolimit City achieves a fast load time of 6.05 seconds, suggesting they might be implementing optimization techniques to optimize player experience.
Best game load speed
Once again, Nolimit City takes the lead in the best game load speed category with 3.82 MB/s, underscoring that factors beyond infrastructure and internet bandwidth can significantly impact game loading times.
Game size and compression rate
The provider achieving the best transferred performance and compression rate is Red Tiger. The 8.5 MB transferred data suggests efficient data transfer, and the 62% compression rate implies that Red Tiger significantly reduces the data size, contributing to a loading time of 8.47 seconds.
Slots in need of optimization
The following performance benchmarks identify opportunities for some Filipino providers to enhance the slots user experience.
Game load time
More than half of the top 10 providers reach a lengthy 30+ seconds loading times, and one of the game providers that requires optimization in this aspect is BGaming, which has a load time of 48.98 seconds.
Game speed
Betsoft‘s download speed of 0.34 MB/s is relatively slow among the top 10 providers in the Philippines iGaming market. Optimizing this download speed could contribute to improving Betsoft’s performance.
Game size
At 31.6 MB, Spinomenal’s game size stands out as relatively large compared to other providers, whose games mostly remain below 30 MB. This larger size may potentially lead to slower loading times: 34.1 seconds.
Conclusion
While limited internet infrastructure remains a crucial hurdle for overall iGaming accessibility in the Philippines, providers still hold the key to optimizing the experience for Filipino customers.
TESTA, a reliable crowdtesting ally in the iGaming sector, unveils a wealth of authentic data via its distinctive network of local testers. These industry benchmarks enable providers to formulate precise optimization strategies tailored to address the specific daily challenges encountered by Filipino players.
Maximize the advantages of TESTA’s crowdtesting services for your iGaming endeavors. Reach out to us now and witness the impact firsthand.
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About the author
Ian McKinnon
TESTA Head of Marketing